Forward Proxy
A proxy in front of clients that forwards their outbound requests — for filtering, caching, or hiding the client.
A forward proxy sits between clients and the internet, forwarding the clients’ outbound requests to servers on their behalf. The destination server sees the proxy, not the client. It is used for access control and filtering, caching, anonymity, or letting an internal network reach the outside through one controlled gateway.
Worked example: a corporate forward proxy intercepts all employee web requests to block disallowed sites, cache common downloads, and log traffic — the websites see the company’s proxy IP, not individual employees. Gotcha: the direction is the whole distinction — a forward proxy fronts CLIENTS (who configure it), a reverse proxy fronts SERVERS (transparent to clients); confusing them leads to misconfigured routing, and an open forward proxy left exposed can be abused by outsiders to launder traffic.